The Lonely Library
by Rudy1
Summary: This is for a fic challenge between Kat Burnell and myself. For my part, it's Book the Tenth of Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events. Here the Baudelaire encounter a strict library and the elusive Baudelaire files. Please review so I can win!


_For Beatrice-_

_Your memory has been kept alive,_

_But, apparently, you have not._

_C H A P T E R_

**One**

Lintel Library is closed now, after having the librarian, Ms. Baggles arrested on drug charges, unlike the day the Baudelaire orphans came upon it in Hedford. As you may or may not know, a library is a pleasant place where you can read and check out books, but Lintel Library was nothing like that, nor is this horrid part in the Baudelaire orphans lives, which is why you should put this book down right away and find something else to read in your public library. I suggest you go to the children's section and pick out something else to read such as a book called _Maggie's Birthday Party _that is about an annoyingly spoiled little girl whom tears apart her presents on the day of her birthday party and then eats an ugly cake, which is far better then reading what happened to the Baudelaire orphans in Hedford.

You may even be happier reading through the dictionary, skipping all the words that describe this story such as "tragic" or "melancholic", for the this story has nothing but a melancholic principle to it, since nothing in the Baudelaire orphans lives was delightful or pleasant, just dreadful and frightening, and this part of it is no exception.

Violet Baudelaire looked down at the tar-black road of Melfin Drive. Violet was a 14 year-old girl whom had a marvelous mind for inventing things. She had her hair tied up in a ribbon, which always meant the gears of her mind were hard at work building something, and at this particular moment she was trying to think up a way that would help clear her and her siblings names. 

Klaus, the middle Baudelaire, was 13 and had probably read more books then people 4 times his age and at this moment he was reading a sign up ahead of him that read "Welcome to Hedford, Home of the V.F.D." The Baudelaire orphans had encountered many meanings of V.F.D, and Klaus was thinking of a recent one that he thought may be referring to the V.F.D on the sign.

"I think," Klaus said, finally breaking the 5 hour silence, "That the V.F.D on that sign may stand for 'Volunteers Fighting Disease', and if it does, maybe the town lives by the same motto of 'no news is good news'."

"So then maybe they don't have a newspaper and haven't read that ugly article about us in _The Daily Punctilio_," Violet added, as she looked up to take in her surroundings. Melfin Drive was a brightly colored street thanks to the colorful Victorian houses and the impressive flower gardens that seemed to have every flower imaginable to the Baudelaires. On the left side of the street, the houses went in a tacky pattern of orange, turquoise, red, and black. Meanwhile, the houses on the right side went in a lovely pattern of blue, green, and purple.

"Dack!" Sunny, the youngest Baudelaire shouted. Sunny, who was merely a baby, was walking beside Klaus and chewing a tin can she had found some time ago. She was small for her age, just slightly bigger then a salami, but what she lacked in size she made up with her four sharp teeth that she loved to bite things with. And being only a baby, she spoke in odd words that only her siblings understood and by "Dack!" she meant something along the lines of "I do hope you're right, Klaus, if this town started chasing after us I don't think I'd make it."

"Well, hello there," said a happy looking, plump, old man from one of the turquoise houses, "and welcome to Hedford." He was wearing white shorts along with a teal shirt that practically matched his houses turquoise, and watering a patch of roses in his garden. He stopped for a moment and walked over to lean against the fence of his house so as to be able to talk with the Baudelaires.

"Hello," said Violet.

"Hello," said Klaus.

"Alfack!" Sunny shouted.

"Excuse me?" The man said, "I don't quite follow. What's 'alfack'?"

"We're sorry, our little sister can't speak English yet. By 'alfack', she means 'Hello there, it's a pleasure to meet you.'" Violet translated.

"Oh, well, it's a pleasure to meet you too. My name's Edward Belladoll. And who might you be?" Edward Belladoll said, with a slight laugh.

"Hello, Mr. Belladoll, I'm Joanna Hardwick, and this is my brother George, and our sister, Sarah." Violet quickly lied, just in case Klaus' assumption was incorrect.

"Well, Hardwicks, would you like to come in for some lemonade?" Offered the old man.

"No, thank you, Mr. Belladoll. My sisters and I are looking for a library and we think it is in this town. Can you tell us where to find a library here?" Klaus asked.

"I most certainly can," Edward Belladoll said, "Hedford has only one library, Lintel Library. Just go on down Melfin Drive, turn right and keep going until you come to a square that has a big marble building. That building is the Town Hall, and beside it is a big brown one and that's Lintel Library. Are you sure you don't want that lemonade?"

"No, thank you, we're in a hurry. Thanks for the information," Violet thanked, before giving Mr. Belladoll a slight wave and walking off with her two siblings. She paused suddenly and turned to look at him, "Oh, one more thing, does Hedford have a newspaper?"

"Not that I know of, no, why?"

"Oh, no reason. Thank you!" Violet turned away and began hurriedly walking with the other two Baudelaire orphans in the direction Edward Belladoll had told them. They came to the end of Melfin drive, which ended with a red house and a purple house, and then turned right which took them to a street exactly alike to Melfin Drive, only with different colors. On the left were more Victorian houses only in another tacky color pattern of yellow, brown, and purple, and the right went in a lovely pattern of red and yellow.

                The Baudelaire orphans walked down this street, and came to the square Edward Belladoll has mentioned. Far ahead of the three children, was a large marble building that looked like something out of Rome, only with the words "Town Hall" written on it. A few feet next to that building was a building, that looked exactly alike, only that it was made out of wood, and had the words "Lintel Library" written on it. The three children began running toward it, only to stop after just a few steps. In front of them were the Volunteers Fighting Disease.

                "Oh no! What will we do, Klaus?" Violet asked in despair.

                "Let's turn back, quickly, before they see us. They probably still remember us from Heimlich Hospital." Klaus answered. The three Baudelaire orphans turned swiftly, and began walking at a high speed back toward Edward Belladolls house. They turned left at the end of the street, which put them in Melfin Drive, where they headed toward Edward Belladoll, whom was still watering his garden.

                "Back so soon?" He said when they reached him.

                "We decided to put it off… until…. tomorrow," Violet muttered, panting from walking so quickly.  

                "My, you look tired. I insist you come in for lemonade!" Mr. Belladoll insisted. 

                "Alright, thank you." Klaus replied, and then the 3 Baudelaire orphans and Edward Belladoll went into the turquoise house, temporarily away from the problem of V.F.D.

_A/N: Ok people, this is for a fic challenge against my friend, Kat Burnell. So please review so I can win!_


End file.
